DuPont, U. of Missouri, USDA collaborate

DuPont, University of Missouri and USDA Agricultural Research Service announce collaboration.(Photo: DuPont)

DuPont, the University of Missouri and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service announced an innovative collaboration to help farmers improve crop yields more sustainably, DuPont said.

The new collaboration will involve pooling soil mapping resources, predictive technologies and expertise to aid growers improve yields though better nitrogen application management and other field input planning, the agriculture giant said.

The three-year exclusive agreement among DuPont Pioneer, the firm's Iowa-based global seed and advanced plant genetics business, the University of Missouri and USDA will bring together strengths from each entity in precision agriculture sensors and soil mapping, including characterization of soil types, topography and water sheds, DuPont said.

"DuPont Pioneer has long been dedicated to providing our customers with products and services that bring the greatest value to each acre through sustainable field management," Paul E. Schickler, president of DuPont Pioneer said. "This public-private collaboration with Missouri and USDA-ARS takes that effort to a higher level, helping growers increase yields while being better stewards of the environment. We are building these tools in the United States but intend to expand Decision Services offerings to other international markets over time."

The effort will result in more accurate soil mapping units than ever before seen through a unique computerized process - DuPont brings to the collaboration - that uses the latest high resolution technology, the firm said.

"This collaboration provides opportunities for connecting innovative soil and landscape science with decision-making for millions of acres in the United States," Brent Myers, Ph.D., agronomist, from the University of Missouri said.